The PHOTOGRAPH…

DOCUMENTED MEMORIES….. the PHOTOGRAPH.
We need them so we can reflect on the past, they can make us happy or sad, they help us remember the precious past.
Every day we experience connections with people, it may be family, friends or people we don’t even know. One very powerful and lasting way to preserve and reflectlife’s journey is through recorded images. PHOTOGRAPHS…
How do you remember a close family member who has passed on or a child who is now grown? PHOTOGRAPHS…
What can make you cry when you look at that printed memory and reflect? PHOTOGRAPHS…
Images have always been a very powerful form of media that documents the past. Before photographs we remember people and events throughout history from paintings and drawings. It is a vital testament to documented history that what we see in an image actually occurred.

A true story:
A few years back we were commissioned to photograph a birthday party for a client’s mother. She was turning 90 and her daughter thought to have the party photographed. It was set in a museum, ancient dinosaurs as the backdrop. How appropriate She loved the idea, after all they were the only thing older then her that evening… We witnessed everlasting love and interaction between the grand mom and her charming husband.
After decades of marriage, they still had it. We captured this and other very special moments between family and friends. We were only documenting a 3 hour pieceof history. That 3 hour piece of history was represented in a book that not only told the story of the elderly couple but also the spirit and mood of that wonderful evening. All of the people that attended, their unique personalities and interactions.They were the “characters” in the pictorial storybook.
About a month after the grand mom and her husband received the book he passed on….
So now that book, the PHOTOGRAPHS and the memories contained are a priceless treasure for the grieving wife. It is her memory of a good time with close family and friends. Her daughter told me she looks at it almost every day it helps her remember the “good times”. It makes her smile now, it heals it comforts her.
So just remember that it is very important and necessary to record these little slices of life…. We never know when we may need to look back, reflect and savor the memories of life.

Here is my piece of history…

Here comes Part two of our Vegas adventure. Photos and insights from our amazing trip to the Grand Canyon:

The Hoover Dam bypass built in 2010 speeds up the journey South, but how could we not stop when the sky was so perfect. If you decide to walk across the Dam, make sure to stare at your iPhone as it magically changes from Nevada to Arizona time and back. The Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge offers the most spectacular Dam views! The best view of Lake Mead is from business route 93 in Boulder City, where we had to stop for supposedly Nevada’s best burger at the Boulder PIT Stop. The french fry sauce was tasty!

Grand Canyon West is located on a Hualapai Indian reservation about 2.5 hours from Las Vegas. Different location = different weather. It was 24 degrees at the Canyon! It was our first time seeing snow covered cactus in the desert. The Canyon views are about fifty miles from Rt. 93, partly on a dirt road – frankly the most in the middle of nowhere place either one of us has ever been. The weather had been uncooperative for the entire week. That is until we got there. Visibility was supposed to be zero, but the clouds just floated away when we arrived. There are three main points of interest on the reservation – two breathtaking viewpoints and a mocked up western town and working ranch. We couldn’t be bothered with the Sky Walk at Eagle Point – NO cameras allowed – what good is that to a photographer? Guano Point on the other hand had the most amazing 360 view of the Canyon.

Only a little scary standing on the tallest rock on top of the tallest hill around!

The ground was too slippery for a horse ride along the edge of the Canyon, but we visited the horses at sunset anyway.

As one of the presenters said, “The day we get home, we start planning next years trip”
So true…

mike & jana

We are back from WPPI 2011 in Las Vegas. What an amazing trip! Inspiring and fulfilling! We had a week filled with photography, traveling, meeting new friends and connecting with colleagues from our area. We were inspired by some of the world’s leading photographers and creative artists – Yervant, Greg Gibson, Elizabeth Messina, David Beckstead, David Williams and soooo many more.

Here are a few images from Jana’s workshop with Yervant.

We must already own everything since we only purchased a few memory cards and a Motibodo keyboard at the tradeshow to speed up our workflow. We will be sharing our insights once we have it up and running. We absolutely love the idea that the software can be installed on multiple computers. Thanks Dave and Quin!
We also found an exciting new album company and will be adding several books into our already awesome production collection. We are super excited about their paper surface selection and stylish album covers.

…Elvis has been replaced…

Signature Suites at the MGM was our home again. Clean scented air and perfect accommodations. Upon arriving in Vegas we stocked up our kitchen cabinets and fridge with healthy food from Whole Foods. Great breakfasts and lunches on our balconies, a scenic view of the mountains and strip! Dinner… well that was eating out and we made sure to visit our favorite restaurants Shibuya for sushi and Teppanyaki Japanese grill, Diego for table-side guacamole and superb margaritas and Mon Ami Gabi for some yummy French cuisine. The find of the trip was Holsteins Buns and Shakes at the Cosmopolitan. We were so glad that we did not discover their amazing burgers and spiked milk shakes until the last day!

A show and a trip have become a Vegas Tradition.
Zumanity was a very unique form of adult entertainment and we really enjoyed it.
We traveled south via Boudler City, Hoover Dam to the Grand Canyon for our trip this year. Mike insisted on making the drive memorable and rented a Camaro SS. What a fun ride, especially on the twenty- mile dirt road in snow! LOL.

Part Two with amazing photos from our trip is coming soon!

mike & jana

Well, can you believe that 2010 is almost over? And we always wonder where the year went…. To help you remember, we are bringing back some of 2010 with end of the year images that we LOVE. AWESOME kids, families together and special moments. All documented for you. Hope they bring a smile, a touch of joy and remind you how innocent and cute the little ones are… And, how important family is and how we should capture and cherish every moment…

Coming up… The BEST of mk Photography WEDDINGS 2010!

Happy New Year!
mike and Jana

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY to my 86′ Porsche 944 Turbo! WOW! 25 years!
My Porsche celebrated it’s 25th Birthday on September 25th. I gave it a really good bath (with Luciana spraying me with the hose of course) and aggressive drive on the twisty back roads of the beautiful Brandywine Valley. Fun to drive, amazing adrenaline rush that this car handles so well after 300,00 miles. Original engine, paint and lots of routine and preventative maintenance kept me busy over the years. This car was voted by Car and Driver Magazine as the best handling sports car, 3 years in a row. It is known for superb balance, interior driver ergonomics and handling feel. Working on the 944 series Porsche’s is a passionate hobby for me, I do ALL the work and love the accomplishment of fixing things. This past summer a close friend and I restored a Zermatt Silver 89′ 2.7 Liter 944 for my son, Ryan for his 17th birthday. It was great teaching him to drive a stick shift. Some arguing and frustrations occurred during the learning process but in the end the father son experience was the best! He now is a true fan, he has the bug now. : ) It is very rewarding getting together with him and showing him how to keep it going with many do it yourself maintenance projects.

Well it’s that time again to VOTE for us. We are nominated to the PHILLY HOTLIST 2010! We appreciate the nomination and will continue to do the very best for our clients and to reach new creative heights in 2010/2011! VOTE for us HERE

A Senior shoot we did at an old run down factory. Some high key studio shots too. Renne and Nikki were High School interns for us in the summer! We offered them a fun shoot and they said YEAH! Both girls are now in College. Thanks Nikki and Renee for lookin’ good and more importantly so glad you had fun in front of the lens! Jana and I had a great time too!

Thanks Again,

Jana and MIke

Had a very nice shoot with “Jo” in Kennett Square, PA a few weeks ago. Walked around the small friendly quaint town finding nice backgrounds and light.This is a great area to shoot in! As you can see she really enjoyed herself. We loved working with her…
Jana nice work on the images!

We are having so much fun making kids and families laugh in our studio! Lots of holiday festive colors, funky winter hats and bright color scarves. Oh, and don’t forget your pets they need to celebrate too Don’t miss out, there are still a few spaces open. A great way to get custom designed Holiday cards of your kids and family.
A sample card front and inside is shown below, lots of options.

Madison “Maddie” will be graduating this year from High School. She is so excited! This is not the first time we worked with Maddie, she did a “Sweet 16″ with us 2 years ago, and she could not wait to be in front of the camera again! She is a pleasure to photograph, she just LOVES to have fun!! We captured her as she was “MADDIE being MADDIE”. She will be attending a very well know and prestigious music school for voice in NYC next year. I wish her the very best, she is so sweet, outgoing and confident! She will definitely be making a mark for herself in the future. Enjoy the photos from the shoot, some studio and some outside in a beautiful fall setting.
THANKS MADDIE!
Jana and Mike

There are more photos to see
CLICK HERE